Baseball-game apparatus



A. WEINBERG AND C. V. LINDERMAN.

BASEBALL GAME APPARATUS. APPECATION .FILED FEB, 10, 1920.

Patented Nov. 15, 1921.

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BASEBALL GAME APPARATUS. APPLlCATlON FILED FEB 16. 1920.

INVENTOR WITNESSES ALEXANDER WEINIBERG, OF

BASEBALL-GAME APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PATENT OFFICE.

PITTSBURGH, AND CHARLES V. LINDERMAN, OF NORTH BBADDOCK, PENNSYLVANIA.

Patented Nov. 15, 1921.

Application filed February 16, 1920. Serial No. 358,961.

To all'wlwm it'mwy concern:

Be it known that we, ALEXANDER WEIN- BERG and CHARLES V. LINDERMAN, citizens of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh and North Braddock, res ctively, in the county of Allegheny and tate of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Baseball-Game Apparatus of which the following is a specification.

ur invention relates to a new and improved base-ball game apparatus, designed to be played by two or more players, and involving the principles and rules of the well known baseball game.

The game apparatus includes a board marked to designate the diamond, bases,

etc, corresponding with the usual baseball field, and in addition thereto, the board is 1 provided with certain pockets, barriers, etc, hereinafter described. It is also provided with manually operated pitching and bat ting mechanisms.

The prime object of our invention is to provide a new and improved baseball game apparatus including means for delivering a ball from the pitchers box at varying speeds, and also including. a swinging bat device and means coiiperating therewith whereby the bat may be. manipulated to vary the striking force thereof.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate an application of our invention,

Figure 1 is a plan view of a game app-aratus embodying our invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view; Fig. 3, a longitudinal sectional view, the

"section being taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4, an enlarged detail view of a portion of the pitching mechanism; andv 5, a similar View of a portion of the batting mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, the apparatus as illustrated and as preferred includes a board or body 1, a plurality of cross mem bers 2, and a rim or border 3 projecting slightly above the body 1 and extending along the four sides of the body. The inclosed space 1 is arranged to represent a baseball field and 5 designates the diamond of said field. The first, second and third bases are designated by the numerals 6, 7 and 8, and 10 designates a small hole in each base designed to receive a player figure a (see Fig. 3). The home plate and batters box are shown at 11, and the pitchadapted to receive the player figures. Bar.

riers 17 are provided in the outfield, and 18 designates ball-receiving depressions or holes similar to the depressions or holes 15 of the infield. An opening 19 is formed in the border 3, and in playing the game, a ball batted through said opening counts as a home run. Y

The means for delivering the ball from the pitchers box to the batters box and controlling the delivery thereof, as illustrated and as preferred, comprises a rigid bent member positioned on the under side of the board and including a portion 20 extending from a side edge of the board to the pitchers box, an upwardly projecting end 21, the latter being designed to project through the slot 14, a portion 22 extending parallel with a side edge of the board, a portion 23 extending upwardly through a slot 24, and a handle portion 25.

Handle portion 25 is adapted to operate in an opening 26 formed in the border 3. Guiding and supporting members 27, 28 and 29 for the rigid bent member are provided on the under side of the body 1. 3O designates a coiled spring having one end secured to the body and its other end connected with the bent member.

The rigid bent member is adapted to be drawn back into operative position or into position for throwing or delivering the ball, against the tension of spring 30. This position is shown in Fig. 1, and in order to maintain the said member in this position and to release the same when desired, we provide a spring actuated pivoted lever or trigger device 31. Lever 31 is pivoted at one end to the border 3, as shown by the numeral 32, and is provided near its free end with a notch 33, the latter being adapted to receive the handle portion when the latter is drawn back. Lever 31 at its free end is formed with an inwardly extending bent portion 34:, and interposed between said portion and the upper edge of the border is a spring 35. From this construction, it will be understood that a slight downward pressure exerted upon the free end of the lever will release the handle portion of the rigid bent slidable member, thus permitting said member to be drawn forward by the spring 30 and the portion 21 to strike the ball.

It is highly desirable in playing the game that the player manipulating the pitching mechanism may cause the ball to be delivered at varying speeds, and in order to accomplish this, we have provided means designed to cooperate with the rigid slidable member. These means, as illustrated, include a pivoted member 36 having a portion 37 adapted to be passed into the path of travel of handle portion 25 and thereby limit the forward movement of said handle and the ball striking portion 21, operable in the slot 14. Member 36, which is pivoted to border 3 at 38 is also provided with a portion 39 extending over the upper edge of border 3, and interposed between said edge and portion 39 is a spring 40. By means of the construction just described, the player operating the pitching mechanism may vary the speed of the ball without being observed by the player manipulating the batting mechanism.

The batting mechanism comprises a bat or striking member 41 mounted to swing on a post 42, a spring 43 having a portion wound around post 42 and its ends respectively secured to the board and to member 41 and arranged and adapted to carry member 41 forward or into the dotted line position shown by Fig. 1. 44 indicates a stop against which the bat strikes in its forward swinging movement. 45 and 46 designate jointed arms, arm 45 being connected at one end with the bat and arm 46 pivoted at 47 and having a portion projecting through an opening 48 of the border, the outer end of arm 46 being provided with a thumb piece 49.

Arranged to cooperate with a projecting portion of arm 46, we provide a pivotally mounted arm or lever 50. Lever 50 is pivotally secured to the border at 51 and is provided with notched portions 52 and 53. The function of notch 52 is to engage the projecting portion of arm 46 and to hold the same against the action of spring 43, thus maintaining the bat back in the full line position shown by Fig. 1.

reserves Means are also provided for limiting the movement or travel of arm 46 in one direction, and consequently the swing of the bat, and as shown, we employ for this purpose the notch 53. Lever 50 is provided with an extension 54 designed to straddle the upper edge of the border, and 55 designates a spring disposed between extension 54 and the upper edge of the border.

In operating the batting mechanism, the player opposing the player manipulating the pitching mechanism presses downwardly upon the spring controlled end of lever 50, thus releasing the arm 46. If a partial swing only of the bat is desired, a very slight pressure is exerted on lever 50, a pressure just sufficient to release the arm from notch 52 and permit the arm to be caught by notch 53. If a full swing of the bat is desired, lever 50 is pressed downwardly quickly and with more pressure.

What we claim is:

1. In apparatus of the character described, the combination with a field having a pitch ers and a batters box, of a spring actuated swinging bat mechanism, means cooperating with the bat mechanism for providing a full or a partial swing of the bat at will, and mechanism for delivering the ball from the pitchers box in the direction of the bat at different speeds including a spring actuated bent rod, and means co-acting with the rod for limiting the throw of the rod.

2. In apparatus of the character described, the combination with a field, of a pitching mechanism for delivering the ball at diiierent speeds including a slidable bent rod having an end portion projecting upwardly from the pitchers box, and an end portion disposed at the border of the field and provided with a handle portion, a spring secured to the rod, means within the control of the player for releasing the handle, and means within the control of the player for varying the operative movement of the rod.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

ALEXANDER VVEINBERG. CHARLES V. LIN DERMAN. Witnesses:

J. M. GEOGHEGAN, Lors WINEMAN. 

